18th August 2010 Archive

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Sony confirms 160GB, 320GB PS3s coming to Blighty

Will oust current models

Sony has confirmed a 160GB PlayStation 3 is on its way, along with a 320GB model too. Both consoles will go on sale over here in October and replace the current 120GB and 250GB versions, respectively. They will cost the same too: £250 and £285. The announcement comes as no surprise. Sony launched the new models in Japan last …

reghardware 18 Aug 05:21
IBM whips out its TPC-C...cluster

OLTP pedal to the metal

At the last minute, as it was rolling out the low-end and high-end of its Power7-based server lineup on Tuesday, IBM rushed out a new TPC-C online transaction processing benchmark. No surprises there. And there are no surprises that Big Blue has pushed the OLTP benchmark, showing it could put a box into the field that can do …

Servers 18 Aug 05:21
Asus rolls out 'executive' netbooks

Snazzy job for the Japanese market

Asus has sexed up its Eee PC netbook line, adding USB 3.0, Bluetooth 3.0, a metal-look casing, the latest in Atom chippery, a full version of Windows 7 and even a fingerprint reader. So much for netbooks as small, cheap computers... No wonder Asus' Eee sales may be on the decline... To be fair, there's no sign yet when or if …

reghardware 18 Aug 06:09
Retailer serves up Monty Python 'waffer thin' mints

Just one more...

It had to happen: the grotesque Mr Creosote from Monty Python's Meaning of Life has inspired a new 'waffer' thin mint. Styled as "perfect for when you can't eat another thing", the slim, mint-filled chocolate confection may not cause your strained stomach to detonate in a blast of half-digested dinner, but you can have a …

reghardware 18 Aug 06:30
Apple iMac 21.5in 2010

Review Pro performance

While rather overshadowed by the mighty iPhone and iPad in recent months, Apple’s iMac desktop machines are still selling well and the company has just refreshed the entire product line ahead of the Christmas spending spree. Internal affairs: Apple's iMac range features Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 CPU options The new iMac …

reghardware 18 Aug 07:02
Sony to bring ITV to PS3

More movies to stream too

Sony will be bringing ITV's catch-up service, ITV Player, to the PS3. It will also be adding Mubi, a movie streaming service. Mubi's catalogue of indie movies, classics and art-house offerings will be delivered through the PlayStation Store, Sony said, and will be added in October. Sony didn't say when the ITV Player will be …

reghardware 18 Aug 07:19
Street View hauled into Spanish court

Google to face judge over Wi-Fi slurping

A Madrid judge has ordered Google's legal representative in Spain to appear in court in October over charges that Street View's clandestine Wi-Fi slurping operations may have breached the country's privacy laws. Judge Raquel Fernandino of the capital's Magistrates' Court number 45 acted on a complaint by the Asociación para la …

Law 18 Aug 07:57
Iran clamps down on mullets

Chris Waddle cancels Tehran weekend break

As part of its audacious bid to become the first nation to ban absolutely everything, Iran has reportedly taken exception to the infamous mullet, meaning footballing legend Chris Waddle will have to cancel that Tehran weekend break he was planning. Rudi Voller, too, would be well advised to street clear of the Islamic fashion …

Bootnotes 18 Aug 08:42
ISS ammonia pump 'working well'

At those prices, we should hope so

The ISS's new ammonia pump module is "working well", according to NASA, as the agency prepares to return the orbiting outpost to "normal configuration for standard operations by Thursday". It took spacewalkers Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Doug Wheelock three EVAs to swap out the failed unit, which died on 31 July and knocked out …

Space 18 Aug 08:57
Michael Dell snubbed by quarter of his shareholders

They ain't happy

A quarter of Dell's shareholders have withheld support for reinstating company founder Michael Dell as chairman of the company. Although the shareholder vote, detailed in an SEC filing, will have no immediate impact it is a big psychological blow - shareholders typically vote in favour of directors' resolutions, or don't …

Channel Register 18 Aug 09:04
Nokia: Ovi developer price plunge permanent

Don't all rush at once

Nokia has confirmed that the price drop for Ovi developers is permanent, losing the "beta" label previously applied and making Ovi the second cheapest app store to get on. The price cut was introduced last month along with the new Qt SDK, but the new pricing came with a "beta" tag which has now (unsurprisingly) been removed. …

Mobile 18 Aug 09:31
Adobe to patch Black Hat bugs on Thursday

Once more unto the breach

Adobe plans to release out-of-sequence updates on Thursday (19 August) designed to patch security holes in its Acrobat and Reader PDF software revealed at the Black Hat conference earlier this month. Updates for Adobe Reader 9.3.3 for Windows, Macintosh and Unix will accompany Adobe Acrobat 9.3.3 for Windows and Macintosh as …

Applications 18 Aug 09:37
Intel supercharges storage Atoms

More GHz and faster memory

Intel has tweaked a pair of Atoms meant for storage applications, giving them more cycles and support for newer memory. The D410 and D510 single and dual core Atom processors were launched in the first quarter of this year and featured a 1.66GHz clock and DDR2 667/800 memory support. Intel twinned them with its 82801 IR I/O …

PCs & Chips 18 Aug 09:39
Malware protection for the rest of us

Sysadmin blog Home and small businesses out in the cold on DNS blacklisting

I have been writing about ways of dealing with web-based malware threats: my last blog focused on DNS blacklists. The basic idea is sound; but not in all cases. Roaming users, home users or simply smaller organizations that don’t host their own local DNS would all be left out in the cold. Most IT professionals look for DNS- …

Desktop Mgmt Blog 18 Aug 10:02
Booze makes you clever, having none makes you stupid

UK alcohol duty turning us into nation of morons

Drinking wine makes you brainier, according to the latest research - and going on the wagon makes you stupider, at least in the case of women. The news comes in a new study carried out by boffins in Scandinavia. Some 5,033 Norwegians were followed over some seven years in which both their alcohol consumption and cognitive …

Biology 18 Aug 10:03
Clickjacking threat punts Facebook survey scam

Share and Destroy

Miscreants have unleashed a new type of clickjacking worm onto Facebook. The latest assault relies on tricking users into using the Facebook "Share" feature without notifying surfers that content is being shared. By contrast, an otherwise similar clickjacking attack dating back from May relied on duping a user into injudicious …

Malware 18 Aug 10:08
Acrobatic pilot survives loss of wing

Vid Ballistic parachute system does the business

Argentinian acrobatic pilot Dino Moliné survived the dramatic structural failure of his aircraft on Sunday, thanks to a full-plane parachute system which returned him gently to earth. Moliné, 22, was performing at the Show Aéreo 2010 in Santa Fe, when he rather inconveniently lost a wing: Moliné's Rans S-9 Chaos was, as …

Bootnotes 18 Aug 10:10
IBMer blames mistress for making him mis-talk

Hedge fund hottie played him like a fish

Robert Moffat, once tipped for the top job at IBM, has blamed his mistress for encouraging him to give her information which she used for insider dealing. He is facing securities fraud and conspiracy charges, and prosecutors are asking for a six month prison sentence. But Moffat's lawyers, speaking in mitigation, said …

Financial News 18 Aug 10:59
Police slam internet justice - then use it themselves

Opinion What is contempt anyway?

Police and the courts are losing their patience with overenthusiastic net citizens, whose "helpful" sleuthing has caused trials to be abandoned and wasted tens of thousands from the public purse. The police, however, seem a little less fastidious about protecting due process where they feel a little local publicity will do them …

Law 18 Aug 11:18
Wikileaks clambers aboard Pirate Party network

Must remember to download Power, Corruption & Lies

Wikileaks has done the inevitable and coupled with Sweden's Pirate Party. The deal promises to keep leaked information flowing via Wikileaks, while presumably ensuring that conspiracy obsessives, policy wonks and the merely curious can cheaply compile a suitable soundtrack for their late night perusals of government and …

Music and Media 18 Aug 11:18
Samsung sprinkles Anobit with gold

Israeli startup provides flash DSP technology

The Flash Memory Summit has a focus on multi-level cell (MLC) flash and Samsung has just played an Anobit card, giving the tiny Israeli startup a tremendous boost. Anobit's (ANOther BIT) signal processing technology makes getting data from 3-bit MLC flash more reliable and it has previously partnered with Hynix. Now the world' …

Storage 18 Aug 11:24
Croydon Advertiser blows lid on 'sinister' brothel

Fails to probe own small ads, however

The Croydon Advertiser has done a bit of a Hull Daily Mail in an exposé of a "sinister" brothel "operating in the same building as a charity for the elderly". The quality piece of investigative journalism recounts how a fearless undercover reporter was "offered sex with a prostitute for £50 at the seedy enterprise in London …

Music and Media 18 Aug 12:00
BCS creates Truth Commission to heal wounds

Moves to win back 'sizeable minority' of members

The BCS is setting up a committee to deal with members' concerns about the current management's modernisation and rebranding project, even though it won the vote on the issue. The rebels forced an Extraordinary General Meeting in July but lost the subsequent vote to call a halt to the reform programme. The rebels did generate …

IT Director 18 Aug 12:08
People have NO BLOODY IDEA about saving energy

Those keenest to be green are most ignorant - survey

People who make an effort to be eco-friendly - for instance by recycling glass bottles, turning off lights and unplugging cellphone chargers - have no idea what they're on about, according to a new survey. Those who don't bother are more likely to know what actually saves energy and what doesn't. This revelation comes in a new …

Environment 18 Aug 12:11
Shopping mall mulls Supreme Court bid to back no-speaking ban

Talking to strangers? You're under arrest

A California shopping mall may ask the State Supreme Court to defend its ban on its patrons speaking to one another except to ask where the toilet is. Judges on the 3rd District Court of Appeal last week ruled that the Westfield Galleria in Roseville's ban on a visitor "approaching patrons with whom he or she was not …

Law 18 Aug 12:15
Spotify-style streaming beats piracy, boosts sales - survey

Users more likely to buy

The music business is beaten up for lots of reasons. One quite justifiable reason is its level of knowledge about what we actually do on digital networks. When a bigwig makes a statement about music consumption, it's invariably based on hunches rather empirical evidence. This item might help. A poll by Norstat for a Norwegian …

Music and Media 18 Aug 12:39
Monday Night Combat

Review Guns, runs and multiplayer fun

“Gnarlacious,” drawls Mickey Cantor, Monday Night Combat's fittingly exaggerated commentator, as he rouses the crowd for another explosive competition. And he's right. Noses are red, violence is blue You'd be hard pressed to think of a better superlative. Colourful, frantic and comically OTT, Uber Entertainment's first game …

reghardware 18 Aug 13:36
Minister hints that libel reform will create privacy law

Calls for open debate

A justice minister has said that there is "consensus" that a privacy law is needed, though he stopped short of committing the government to introducing one. A fellow senior Liberal Democrat said Parliament needed to "get hold" of privacy law. There is no overarching privacy law in the UK, but celebrities and athletes have …

Law 18 Aug 13:52
Giant vulture menaces Scottish skies

'A genuine threat to airplanes'

Pilots over Scotland have been warned to keep a sharp eye out for a Rueppell's Griffon Vulture which is currently awol from a Cumbernauld bird of prey centre and poses "a genuine threat to airplanes". The missing beast - a seven-year-old female called Gandalf - was flying at World of Wings when she was transported into the …

Biology 18 Aug 13:58
Dawn raids catch 9 for massive iPhone 'fraud'

£1.3m worth of SIM skulduggery

Eight men and one woman were arrested during dawn raids this morning at addresses across the UK connected to an alleged million-pound phone fraud. The complex fraud allegedly involved the purchase of iPhones using dodgy credit cards. The gang then passed SIM cards on to others who used them to rack up massive phone bills …

Mobile 18 Aug 14:01
Project Canvas prompts new Ofcom complaint

Competitors 'scared off'

IP Vision has lodged a formal complaint with Ofcom over Project Canvas, the broadcaster-owned platform for next-generation, internet-connected TV set top boxes. The IPTV developer alleges that Canvas has already scared potential competitors away from entering the IPTV business, "and this will only get worse". Some of the …

Music and Media 18 Aug 14:20
Google plots pre-Christmas Chrome OS iPad killer

Big carrier subsidies to slash up-front price, says mole

Google will have a spec-tastic, low-cost, possibly even free Chrome OS tablet in punters' hands a month before Christmas, it has been claimed. And now the bad news: it's likely to be only available in the US, and if you want to get the tablet for a lot less than the iPad, you'll need to take out a Verizon data airtime deal. …

reghardware 18 Aug 14:26
HMRC staff fired for racism over benefits

Changed records to withhold payments

Seven HMRC staff in Belfast have been fired for tampering with computer records to stop ethnic minorities receiving benefits. The sackings yesterday followed the resignation of two more tax administrators when an internal investigation was launched earlier this year. The nine men were accused of changing the tax records of …

Government 18 Aug 14:40
FringOut phones home

Similar to SkypeOut but like totally different

Fring is trialling its own version of SkypeOut, the innovatively named FringOut, allowing Fring users to call fixed lines even if they still can't speak to Skype users. Fring users can now call up people who aren't using Fring, without paying a monthly fee or connection charge, as long as they're using a Symbian handset and …

Mobile 18 Aug 14:54
Jackal novelist blames NSA for wife's laptop hack

Barking tale of West African cyber-snoop told to Beeb

Novelist Frederick Forsyth has accused heavy handed US cyber-spies of destroying his wife's computer in an attempt to tap into copy he was filling for the Daily Express from West Africa. The author of The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File made the bizarre claim during an recent interview with BBC TV programme Hardtalk. …

Enterprise Security 18 Aug 15:15
Boffins baffled by 'magnetar': Ought to be black hole, but isn't

Cluster conundrum amid the night of a thousand moons

Applecarts are pinwheeling through the air in the world's astronomy departments today as top boffins have revealed that stars lying within a certain range of ginormity do not, as had been supposed, turn into black holes. Rather, it seems, they instead become an exceptionally rare and puzzling space thing known to the …

Space 18 Aug 15:59
Ads watchdog: PS3 graphics 'discernibly' better than Xbox

When it comes to graphics, at least

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) this week announced that the PS3 produces better quality pictures that the Xbox 360 - at least in Final Fantasy XIII. The conclusion follows a complaint from a punter which alleged that an HD-broadcast ad for Final Fantasy XIII on the Xbox 360 was misleading because developer Square …

reghardware 18 Aug 16:01
Amazon challenges cloudy startups

Free compute and storage slices

Amazon Web Services had announced its fourth annual startup challenge contest, a means of recognizing startups built on Amazon's so-called infrastructure cloud. Amazon wants all the cool startups to use its cloudy infrastructure rather than shelling out a lot of cash to build a baby data center. And luckily for Amazon, a lot …

Servers 18 Aug 16:16
Facebook login page still leaks sensitive info

Security malpractice 101

Facebook's login system continues to spill information that can be helpful to phishers, social engineers and other miscreants attempting to scam the more than 500 million active users of the social networking site. When a legitimate email address is entered along with an incorrect password, the authentication system returns an …

ID 18 Aug 16:50
Shuttleworth spears Natty Narwhal for Ubuntu 11.04

Cold, stylish, and...endangered

Ubuntu daddy Mark Shuttleworth has selected a codename for Ubuntu 11.04, due in April. Natty Narwhal will follow Maverick Meerkat, due in October, as Shuttleworth continues his sequential progress through an alphabet of alliterative animals. Natty Narwhal will join a Saint-Saëns-like precession of Lucid Lynxes, Karmic Koalas …

Operating Systems 18 Aug 18:02
Mozilla man: Firefox 4 will leapfrog JavaScript rivals

Eyebrow raised at Google dev cycle overdrive

Mozilla director of web platform Chris Blizzard says that when Firefox 4 debuts, its JavaScript performance will be "one generation" ahead of all other browsers. The open source outfit is working to enhance the Firefox JavaScript engine via a new extension dubbed JägerMonkey. With the debut of Firefox 3.5 last year, Mozilla …

Applications 18 Aug 18:04
Apple yanks music streamer from App Store

Grooveshark jumps the shark

The iPhone app of popular music-streaming service Grooveshark was summarily yanked by the App Store police after a mere week of availability. "Earlier this afternoon," reads a Monday post on Grooveshark's blog, "Apple sent us a letter notifying us that, due to a complaint they received from Universal Music Group UK, …

Mobile 18 Aug 18:56
Woman sues to force exposure of YouTube bullies

Give me names, Google

A business consultant is seeking a court order forcing Google to turn over the names of YouTube commentards who called her a whore and posted unauthorized videos of her. Carla Franklin, a former model and actress and a 2008 graduate of Columbia Business School in New York, petitioned a state court to unmask the individuals she …

ID 18 Aug 19:23
New code-execution bug found in Windows and 40 apps

When 'safe' files aren't

Microsoft Windows and about 40 applications that run on it are vulnerable to remote-code execution attacks that are "trivial" to carry out, a noted security researcher warned Wednesday. The flaw involves the way Windows loads "safe" file types from remote network locations, and is almost identical to one that Apple excised in …

Malware 18 Aug 20:28
AIX 7.1 moves forward to Power7 iron

And backward to older Blue boxes

A new server lineup needs a new operating system to match it, and so next month will see the debut of AIX 7.1 from IBM. And about a month earlier than expected, too. AIX was always the laggard when it came to commercial-grade Unixes, far behind HP-UX from HP and Solaris from Sun Microsystems. And that, along with some pretty …

Servers 18 Aug 20:45
Google spanked for bidding on its own ad auctions

'Impermissible conflict of interest'

Google likes to argue that its search advertising empire is immune to anti-trust claims because it doesn't set ad prices. AdWords, the company says, is an auction where advertisers bid for the placement of paid links. But the reality is far more complicated. One issue is that in some cases, Google is bidding in its own …

Music and Media 18 Aug 23:57